{"id":6605,"date":"2025-12-24T22:57:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=6605"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:57:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:27:46","slug":"beyond-charity-bengaluru-activists-and-doctors-stand-with-children-living-with-hiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=6605","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Charity: Bengaluru Activists and Doctors Stand With Children Living With HIV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community Action Over Stigma: Bengaluru Teams Step Up for Children Living with HIV<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Bengaluru: <\/strong>True social activism is not about momentary charity or public applause; it is about standing by people when they need support the most. Reinforcing this spirit, Team BSLA and Team Abhaya Activities recently visited Desire Society<\/em>, a home for children living with HIV, sending out a strong message of compassion, awareness and sustained commitment.<\/p>\n

Challenging Myths, Building Awareness<\/h3>\n

Activists and healthcare professionals at the visit underlined a crucial reality: HIV is not a crime. Yet, outdated laws and deep-rooted stigma continue to criminalize and marginalize people living with HIV, often treating them as offenders rather than patients. Such approaches, experts warn, discourage testing, treatment and transparency, ultimately harming public health.<\/p>\n

\u201cFear thrives on misinformation,\u201d said Debmalya Bhattacharya, Director, BSLA<\/strong>. \u201cHIV does not spread through touch or casual contact. Breaking this myth is as important as providing medical care.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Signs of Progress, Need for Continued Care<\/h3>\n

The visit also highlighted positive developments. The Karnataka government\u2019s role in ensuring free vaccination and regular health check-ups for HIV-positive children was appreciated by the teams. However, activists stressed that medical basics alone are not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese children need additional nutritional support and vitamins to regain strength and live a normal, confident life,\u201d said Payel Sengupta of BSLA<\/strong>. \u201cSupport from society can make a lasting difference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Doctors Join Hands for a Cause<\/h3>\n

Adding strength to the initiative, Dr. Leela Mohan<\/strong>, actor and general physician, joined the visit and pledged long-term medical support for the children in association with BSLA and other doctors.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a doctor and as a human being, I believe healthcare must reach those who are often ignored,\u201d Dr. Leela Mohan said. \u201cEvery child deserves dignity, care and a future free from fear.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Breaking HIV Myths: Community Action Brings Hope to Vulnerable Children<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Decline That Inspires Hope<\/h3>\n

Reflecting on the journey so far, Debmalya Bhattacharya recalled that during an earlier visit in 2018, over 55 children were supported at the home. Today, the number has reduced to around 30\u2014an encouraging sign of increased awareness, prevention and treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decline proves that education works,\u201d he noted. \u201cOur dream is to see Karnataka emerge as an HIV-free zone, and we are committed to working throughout 2026 for children living with HIV.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Call to Act, Not Applaud<\/h3>\n

The initiative stands as an example of meaningful activism\u2014quiet, consistent and people-centric. It calls upon citizens, professionals and institutions to move beyond fear and extend support, not sympathy.<\/p>\n

As the teams emphasized, \u201cReal change begins when society replaces stigma with solidarity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udd39 KEY QUOTES<\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • \n

    Dr. Leela Mohan:<\/strong>
    \u201cHealthcare is not just treatment; it is reassurance, dignity, and standing by those society often ignores.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Payel Sengupta (BSLA):<\/strong>
    \u201cAwareness has reduced numbers, but compassion must increase. These children need our collective support.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Debmalya Bhattacharya (Director, BSLA):<\/strong>
    \u201cHIV does not spread by touch. Fear spreads faster than facts\u2014and that is what we must end.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    \u0ca1\u0cbe. \u0cb2\u0cc0\u0cb2\u0cbe \u0cae\u0ccb\u0cb9\u0ca8\u0ccd:<\/strong>
    \u201c\u0c86\u0cb0\u0ccb\u0c97\u0ccd\u0caf \u0cb8\u0cc7\u0cb5\u0cc6 \u0c8e\u0c82\u0ca6\u0cb0\u0cc6 \u0c9a\u0cbf\u0c95\u0cbf\u0ca4\u0ccd\u0cb8\u0cc6 \u0cae\u0cbe\u0ca4\u0ccd\u0cb0\u0cb5\u0cb2\u0ccd\u0cb2; \u0c85\u0ca6\u0cc1 \u0cad\u0cb0\u0cb5\u0cb8\u0cc6, \u0c97\u0ccc\u0cb0\u0cb5 \u0cae\u0ca4\u0ccd\u0ca4\u0cc1 \u0cae\u0cbe\u0ca8\u0cb5\u0cc0\u0caf\u0ca4\u0cc6.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    \u0caa\u0cbe\u0caf\u0cb2\u0ccd \u0cb8\u0cc7\u0c82\u0c97\u0cc1\u0caa\u0ccd\u0ca4 (BSLA):<\/strong>
    \u201c\u0cb8\u0c9a\u0cc7\u0ca4\u0ca8\u0ca4\u0cc6 \u0cb8\u0c82\u0c96\u0ccd\u0caf\u0cc6 \u0c95\u0ca1\u0cbf\u0cae\u0cc6 \u0cae\u0cbe\u0ca1\u0cbf\u0ca6\u0cc6, \u0c86\u0ca6\u0cb0\u0cc6 \u0cb8\u0cb9\u0cbe\u0ca8\u0cc1\u0cad\u0cc2\u0ca4\u0cbf \u0c87\u0ca8\u0ccd\u0ca8\u0cb7\u0ccd\u0c9f\u0cc1 \u0cb9\u0cc6\u0c9a\u0ccd\u0c9a\u0cac\u0cc7\u0c95\u0cc1.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    \u0ca1\u0cc6\u0cac\u0ccd\u0cae\u0cb2\u0ccd\u0caf \u0cad\u0c9f\u0ccd\u0c9f\u0cbe\u0c9a\u0cbe\u0cb0\u0ccd\u0caf (BSLA):<\/strong>
    \u201cHIV \u0cb8\u0ccd\u0caa\u0cb0\u0ccd\u0cb6\u0ca6\u0cbf\u0c82\u0ca6 \u0cb9\u0cb0\u0ca1\u0cc1\u0cb5\u0cc1\u0ca6\u0cbf\u0cb2\u0ccd\u0cb2. \u0cad\u0caf\u0c95\u0ccd\u0c95\u0cbf\u0c82\u0ca4 \u0cb8\u0ca4\u0ccd\u0caf\u0cb5\u0ca8\u0ccd\u0ca8\u0cc1 \u0cb9\u0cb0\u0ca1\u0cac\u0cc7\u0c95\u0cbe\u0c97\u0cbf\u0ca6\u0cc6.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Community Action Over Stigma: Bengaluru Teams Step Up for Children Living with HIV Bengaluru: True social activism is not about momentary charity or public applause; it is about standing by people when they need support the most. Reinforcing this spirit, Team BSLA and Team Abhaya Activities recently visited Desire Society, a home for children living […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bengaluru"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6608,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605\/revisions\/6608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}